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The second recipe featured on the Chef Ed Quimson article at the Philippine Daily Inquirer March 2008 issue is Caldereta. His recipe is a typical caldereta recipe with liver spread and cheese as thickening agent. Although I have never had caldereta with cheese topping before, I was told that this is also a typical way of cooking/serving it. Here is Chef Ed Quimson’s recipe:

Ingredients:

5 kilos beef short ribs (obviously, this recipe is for a feast!)

3 bars butter unsalted (approximately 1 1/2 cup)

250 g garlic, chopped

750 g red onion, chopped

3 liters beef stock (about 12 1/2 cups)

250 ml soy sauce

30 g hot chili peppers (sili labuyo)

1/2 bar quickmelt cheese

850 g liver spread

500 g carrots, large diced

300 g potatoes, large diced

300 g green pepper, wedged

300 g red pepper, wedged

1/2 bar quickmelt cheese for topping, grated

salt to taste

Directions:

Place meat in stockpot and cover with enough water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour or until tender.

Remove meat from the stock pot and set aside.

In large wok or saute pan, saute garlic and onions in oil until garlic becomes light brown and onion is tanslucent

Add meat and saute until coated.

Add beef stock and bring to a boil. Add soy sauce and salt to taste.

Add remaining ingredients one at a time except for green and red bell peppers. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-20 minutes or until vegetables are cooked. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching at the bottom.

Add bell peppers and bring to a boil. Serve with grated cheese on top.

I didn’t have all the ingredients for the above so I ended up making the Pampanga version of caldereta. Originally a goat meat stew, Caldereta de Cabrito is a recipe from Sulipan, Pampanga a town in the Philippines that is no longer on the map. It is from the cookbook Cocina Sulipena byGene Gonzales, a collection of culinary gems from Old Pampanga. This recipe uses red wine, sherry and green olives. It actually is closer to the beef stew we are familiar with here in the U. S. For my version, I used beef instead of goat meat (although my local butcher is more than happy to order goat meat for me). I didn’t have green olives on hand so I substituted black olives instead.

Ingredients:

500 grams beef, cut in bite size pieces

1 cup red wine

2 tbs olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium size onion, diced

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/3 cup brine of green olives (or the brine of black olives)

1 large tomato, diced

1 tsp paprika

1 tbs grated Edam cheese (I didn’t have Edam so I used gorgonzola about 200 g)

10 green olives (or black olives)

2 pieces roasted bell peppers (any color)

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbs sherry or brandy (Madeira works very well, too!)

Directions:

Marinate beef in red wine overnight.

Boil meat in enough water until tender. Remove and reserve stock.

In olive oil, saute garlic and onion. Add the meat to brown. Add tomoto paste, olive brine and tomato. Simmer until meat is tender. Season with paprika. Add stock and wine as needed until meat is tender and cooked.

Thicken sauce with cheese. Add olives and peppers. Season with salt and pepper.

Add sherry and continue to simmer on low until cooked or reduced.

If you are trying this recipe, let me know which version you like better.